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Illinois Public Media

Scarves For Champaign-Urbana’s Residents - And Statues

November 27, 2015

Gretchen Warner is making scarves for those who need them. You may have seen a scarf hanging on an area statue.

Amanda Honigfort/WILL

In recent days, you may have noticed statues around Champaign-Urbana donning scarves. The scarves were crocheted by Gretchen Warner who said she wanted to find a way to help members of the community stay warm this winter.

One of Gretchen Warner's Scarves

Photo Credit: Gretchen Warner

“It’s for anyone who’s cold. Whether it’s somebody who is homeless or they’re just out and about and maybe they forgot their scarf that day. If you need a scarf, if you don’t have a scarf keep it, it’s yours. When you’re done with it pass it on to somebody else who needs it,” said Warner

The idea came to her because she was concerned about the homeless in winter. She says she figured that she didn’t have a lot of money to donate, but she could crochet.

“I wanted to give back to the community somehow and this was the best way I knew how,” said Warner.

Warner has crocheted 89 scarfs and placed the first 17 on Sunday night. She says she will continue to place scarves this winter, as well as donate some to the shelters around town, but will wait to see what response her scarves get before deciding on what to do next winter.

Warner says she would be happy to see people join her project. “I have the gofundme page that people can contact me through, and if they want to donate [yarn or scarfs] they can send me a message and we can meet up.”

“If anyone else is inspired to help in any way, for anyone - just think ‘what can I do to help others, what can I do to serve other people’ and just do it,” Warner says.